Cold Plasma Purification of Silicon Tetrachloride
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for purifying silicon tetrachloride and germanium tetrachloride, such as UV radiation with chlorine and the use of reducing agents, are inefficient and costly due to corrosion issues and the need for high-purity chlorine, as well as poor energetic efficiency, making it difficult to remove hydrogen-containing impurities to low concentrations.
Innovation Solution
Treatment of silicon tetrachloride or germanium tetrachloride using a cold plasma, specifically a dielectrically hindered discharge (DBD), which converts hydrogen-containing compounds into separable species without the need for a reducing agent, allowing for subsequent distillation and achieving high-purity tetrachloride.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If UV radiation with chlorine is used to remove hydrocarbons and chlorinated hydrocarbons from silicon tetrachloride, then purification is achieved, but plant components suffer severe corrosion and operating costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful chlorine gas is extracted and removed from the purification process. Instead of using chlorine for UV irradiation, the patent employs a different approach that eliminates chlorine contact with plant components, thereby preventing corrosion while maintaining purification effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces expensive high-purity chlorine gas with a more economical and less harmful alternative purification method, effectively substituting a costly and harmful substance with a cheaper and safer process
2Manufacturing precision
If high-purity chlorine is added in considerable amounts for UV radiation treatment, then hydrocarbon removal is effective, but operating costs increase due to chlorine purity requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive high-purity chlorine with a more economical purification approach, eliminating the need to purchase and handle costly high-purity chlorine gas while achieving the same impurity removal effectiveness
3Productivity
If conventional UV radiation sources are used for purification, then treatment can be performed, but energetic efficiency is poor and treatment times are long
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the conventional UV radiation mechanical system with an alternative purification method that achieves better energy efficiency and shorter treatment times, substituting the inefficient UV approach with a more effective process
4Manufacturing precision
If reducing agents such as hydrogen are added for purification, then hydrogen-containing impurities can be removed, but the process becomes more complex and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the need for adding reducing agents from the purification process. By removing this step, the process complexity is reduced while maintaining the capability to remove hydrogen-containing impurities through an alternative mechanism
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a process for the purification's of silicon tetrachloride or germanium tetrachloride contaminated with at least one hydrogen-containing compound, in which the silicon tetrachloride or germanium tetrachloride to be purified is treated in a targeted manner by means of a cold plasma and purified silicon tetrachloride or germanium tetrachloride is isolated from the phase which has been treated in this way. The present invention further relates to an apparatus for carrying out the process of the invention, which comprises a stock and vaporization unit for silicon or germanium tetrachloride (4.1 or 5.1) which is connected via a connecting line with the inlet of the reactor (4.3 or 5.3) with control unit (4.4 or 5.4) for producing the dielectrically hindered discharges whose outlet leads via a pipe either directly or indirectly via at least one further reactor (5.5) to a condensation unit (4.5 or 5.11) with downstream collection vessel (4.6 or 5.12) which is connected via an offtake line (4.6.2 or 5.12.1) to a distillation unit (4.8 or 5.13) and, if appropriate, is equipped with a feed line (4.6.1) to the unit (4.1).